Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls

Shelled and deveined shrimps are mixed with cilantro and seasoned, enveloped in spring rolls wrappers, fried and served with Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Yes, the first dish we cooked at the cooking school in Vietnam, we already cooked at home less than 24 hours after flying back from Saigon. Well, Alex did the cooking; I did the photographing.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get all the herbs that traditionally go with Vietnamese shrimp spring rolls. We had to content ourselves with mustard leaves, lettuce, basil and mint.

It starts with shelled and deveined shrimps and torn cilantro. Place them in a bowl, add the seasonings and toss well.Take a shrimp and a few sprigs of cilantro and wrap in spring roll wrappers. Not Vietnamese rice paper but ordinary spring roll wrappers made from wheat flour.Then, fry the spring rolls in batches until golden and crisp.

Not so complicated, right? Here’s the recipe including the recipe for the dipping sauce.

Take a piece of spring wrapper and lay flat. Place a shrimp on top; allow the tail to protrude on one side. Top with a few sprigs of cilantro.

Wet the edges of wrapper. Fold the edge nearest you over the filling. Fold in the side opposite the tail then roll until the filling is fully enclosed. Repeat with the rest of the filling and wrappers.

Heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of about two inches.

Fry the spring rolls, in batches if your frying pan is on the small side, until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Serve the shrimp spring rolls

Arrange the fried shrimp spring rolls on one side of a serving platter. Pile on the mustard leaves, lettuce, Thai basil and mint on the other side.

Serve the shrimp spring rolls and vegetables with the dipping sauce.

Notes

Here’s how to enjoy your spring rolls.

Lay a mustard or lettuce leaf (or both) flat, pile on some basil and mint then place a spring roll on top. Roll up, dip in the sauce and take a bite. Enjoy!

If you cooked this dish (or made this drink) and you want to share your masterpiece, please use your own photos and write the cooking steps in your own words.

Looking for Filipino food?Check out CASA Veneracion’s Modern Filipino recipes!

About Connie Veneracion

To feed my obsession with Asian cultures, I created Devour Asia. Why Asia? It goes back to my childhood through early adulthood. Chinese food, Samurai and Voltes V, Asian Civilizations and World History. Read more.

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